Job Preparation Guide

Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?

This question is one of those that want to find out more about you as a person. By asking a personal question, the interviewer hopes that you’ll be flustered and in avertedly reveal something about yourself. Knowing more about you and your personality will help the interviewer decipher what kind of employee you would be and whether or not you’ll be a good fit for the company.

So, how do you beat the question and prove to the interviewer that you would make a good employee for the company? Firstly, don’t get flustered, and don’t be overwhelmed about answering the question. Just be honest, and don’t feel like you have to lie or give an answer that the interviewer wants to hear. They want to hear the truth.

But that doesn’t mean that you have to talk about you life’s regrets and how you’d like to change your life. Remember it is still an interview, not a therapy session. Instead, talk about something light and superficial that under no circumstances indicated regrets about choosing your job or career. The interviewer should not feel like you are unhappy with the career you chose, or the type of work you are doing. This may make the interviewer feel like you may not be productive if you are unhappy with your career choices.

The best option is to talk about something real, a situation that looking back you would like to change, but also something that is trivial and does not impact your life or career in a significant manner. Also, the manner in which you speak about it should not make it seem like you are still stuck in the past or are holding on to regrets. Hence indicate that even though you would like to change it, you have made your peace with it. You don’t want to come across as someone who is dealing with issues in your past.

Instead of focusing on what and how you would change things in life, keep the answer positive. Focus on what you have learned from this. Perhaps, point out how you found out that in the end it was the right decision to make.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what you say, as long as in the end the interviewer does not feel that you are unhappy with your life choices, your career, or where you are in life. Remember to keep the overall tone of your answer upbeat and positive, despite of the question asking about something negative.

Sample Answer:

I feel that my choices in life, both good and bad, are what has made me into the person that I am. Sure there are always some things in life that makes one wonder what if, but I don’t think that there is anything in particular that I would like to change. I once had a chance to take a road trip with my friends one summer, instead I opted to take a summer job. Looking back, I would’ve told my younger self to take the trip as I now know that those chances don’t come by often.